ANAHEIM – The final breakdown in a too-lengthy series of mistakes cost the Ducks a point Friday night at Honda Center.

With a nifty assist from center Jason Arnott, light-scoring defenseman Dan Hamhuis capitalized on a Ducks giveaway in their own zone to score his first goal of the season and give the NashvillePredators a second 4-3, overtime victory in as many games.

Unchecked in prime scoring territory in the slot, Hamhuis one-timed an Arnott feed from near the left-wing boards after Arnott had picked off Ducks captain Scott Niedermayer’s backhand pass intended for fellow defenseman Kent Huskins.

“They were coming with some speed down the side,” Niedermayer said. “I went in behind Kent, got the puck and probably should have kept it going, as opposed to putting it back, where everybody was. That led to some trouble. I haven’t seen a replay, but that probably would have been the best thing to do — keep it going the way it was and get out of trouble.”

While Niedermayer jumped off the bench in place of injured defenseman Francois Beauchemin to turn in a great skating play that led to Ryan Getzlaf’s tying power-play goal at 9:33 of the third period, the mishap on the game’s final sequence continued a game-long trend.

A hooking penalty on Ducks center Samuel Pahlsson led to a power-play strike by Predators right wing Ryan Jones 5:54 into the first period, wiping out an early lead gained on Brendan Morrison’s second goal of the season at 1:59.

An errant neutral-zone pass by Getzlaf created a Nashville possession that culminated in a J.P.Dumont goal at 11:26 of the opening session. After Chris Kunitz converted a five-on-three manpower advantage to get the Ducks even just more than 3½ minutes later, a holding penalty on Ducks defenseman Bret Hedican enabled winger Jason Ward to give Nashville a 3-2 lead 4:35 into the third period.

“It’s kind of the tale of two different stories,” Morrison said. “Our PP gets a couple, but our PK gives up a couple, so that’s kind of a wash. I think our five-on-five play right now is where we have to look at ourselves in the mirror.

“We’re scoring enough goals but we’re not being as assertive as we have to be in our zone. We have to sharpen up there. I think at times we’re a little passive. We’re kind of stick-checking instead of going in. You don’t have to cream a guy — just rub him out and eliminate him from the play. Right now, we turn and, as soon as we turn, they jump right back into the play and it’s a continuous cycle. You’re just chasing the puck, and it tires you out. We have to spend less time in our zone.”

Playing their first game in five nights, the Ducks (9-7-2) had worked on defensive-zone coverage during Wednesday and Thursday practices.

“Some shifts are good, and then it seems some shifts, one mistake leads to another, and leads to another,” Niedermayer said. “You can have one mistake. The way we play, the way most teams play, if there’s one mistake, everyone’s ready, in position. You can correct for that, but one after another leads to trouble.

“We obviously aren’t there 100 percent. It’s something you always work on. It’s a hard part of the game, made even harder by the way they (referees) call the game now. It’s more about position. It’s more about communication and things like that. We have to get in a bit of a groove, get in synch.”

The Ducks might have to pursue that goal without Beauchemin, who ranked second to Niedermayer with an average of 26 minutes, three seconds of ice time per game before Friday. A body check delivered “about two seconds after” Beauchemin released the puck, and less than half a minute before Getzlaf scored, left Beauchemin with a leg injury of undetermined severity, Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said.

Beauchemin received treatment after the game and will be re-evaluated Saturday.

The Predators (8-7-1), who rode a franchise-record 54 saves from goaltender Dan Ellis to Tuesday’s 4-3, overtime triumph over the NHL-leading San Jose Sharks, are suddenly 2-3 on a six-game road swing that concludes Saturday night against the Kings. Ellis registered 32 saves against the Ducks, one more than Jean-Sebastien Giguere at the other end.

“It was a seesaw battle, a good compete game,” Carlyle said. “It was quite a high pace. I liked our effort. We lost a point. We’re not going to get down. We’ll correct some mistakes, as we always analyze areas of improvement. We’ll work on that tomorrow.”

NOTES

The Predators snapped a six-game, road losing streak against the Ducks, winning in Anaheim for the first time since a 3-2, overtime decision on Feb. 20, 2004. … Nashville’s Shea Weber, who entered the game tied for the NHL scoring lead among defensemen with 15 points, added two assists. … With assists on all three Ducks goals, right wing Teemu Selanne pushed his career total to 615, tying RodGilbert for 68th place on the all-time assists list. Selanne ranks 11th among active players. … Left wing Brad May, who returned to the Ducks lineup after a six-game absence caused by a strained right knee, played just more than six minutes and engaged in a first-period fight with Nick Tarnasky of the Predators. … Center-left wing Brian Sutherby and rookie defenseman NathanMcIver were healthy scratches for the Ducks.

THREE STARS

1. DAN HAMHUIS: Light-scoring Nashville defenseman, who played a team-high 25:37, picked up an assist and made his first goal of the season a big one, in overtime
2. TEEMU SELANNE: Right wing assisted on all three Ducks goals, continuing to move up on the NHL’s all-time points and assists lists
3. SHEA WEBER: Young Predators defensive standout with the big shot turned two of them into assists